is to be prised and praised when as they did portrait and paint their Gods naked attributing vnto them all things according as they conceited to bee most befitting their natures and as for my selfe I shall neuer repute that man poore who is placed without the reach power of fortune There is one thing sufficient to expresse vnto vs the nature of pouerty to wit that no vertuous man speaketh thereof but he praiseth it and auoucheth that the wisest haue beene those who haue suffered the same with most contentment and truly it is a great weaknesse and tendernesse in vs not to bee able to endure that which so many others haue well endured and it can be no other thing but a vaine apprehension and a friuoulous feare of enduring and suffering which maketh vs so feeble hearted for if we were indeed of a generous magnanimous disposition we would loue and like that for our selues which we approue in others and therefore howsoeuer that this peeuishnesse and softnesse of ours is not altogether to be comported with wee ought at least to limite our affections and dresse our selues in such sort that fortune may finde the lesse aduantage to offend vs for a little body that can couer gather it selfe together vnder a buckler marcheth on towards the enemy much more surely then a bigger body doth that lyeth at large and open vnto blowes If it were not mine intention to husband the time to spare paper I could enlarge my discourse by reciting of almost innumerable examples aswell of heathens as of Christians which haue placed a great part of their perfection in pouerty But yee ought to consider one thing for all that Iesus Christ was poore who was Lord of the whole world his Disciples were poore which did possesse all things and the Saints were poore which might haue beene rich If yee should neuer dye I would aduise you to set your affection vpon riches but I see that those to whom they most befall doe finde sooner the end of their liuing then of their longing But why should a man torment himselfe for a thing that hee must necessarily leaue and why is he not rather content quietly with that which is needfull chiefly considering that the fairest kinde of wealth is for a man to bee neither too poore nor yet too farre off from pouerty DISC. 18. Of Death IT seemeth that all incommodities and mis-fortunes may bee borne with either by the meanes of a long custome or by the helpe of a strong discourse onely death and the apprehension thereof is the thing that putteth vs in greatest feare Now the onely remedy and true easing of this euill is that ye make this reckoning of the world and all that is therein that yee haue nothing which is your owne neither life nor liuing no not so much as your owne selfe but that yee liue alwaies at borrowing as holding your very life not in property but on condition to restore it vnto him againe who hath lent it you whensoeuer hee shall require it at your hands yet for all this yee must not not neglect it as thing not yours but must keepe it faithfully and carefully in regard that God hath trusted you with the custody thereof and when it is time to render it to him that gaue it not grudgingly but gladly and with a cheerefull countenance in the meane time thanking God the giuer of all good things for the time ye haue had the vse and aid thereof and saying vnto him in this or the like manner Lord I render vnto thee againe this soule and life with as good an hart as it pleased thee to giue me the same yea euen euen with a better and readier will then I did receiue it for when thou gauest me this soule thou gauest it to a little weake creature which knew not the good thou then didst bestow but now thou dost receiue it againe at the hands of a creature more accomplished who knoweth what it is hee commendeth into thine hands and therefore rendereth it vnto thee withall franknesse and readinesse of will and truly we may easily imagine that it is not a thing otherwise difficult for a substance to returne to the the p ace whence it first came the body therefore must returne to the earth and the soule if it go the right way must goe to him that gaue it To bee short that man doubtlesly neuer learned well to iue who knoweth not how to die we must therefore in this case bee so affected towards our selues as wee are wont to be in the behalfe of fencers which must fight in a barred field for wee commonly hate him that beareth himselfe faint-heartedly and fauour the other who out of a braue courage had rather choose to dye then to bee ouercome Besides that the feare of death is sometimes the cause or occasion of death to him that flyeth fastest from it And seeing yee know well that life was giuen you vpon condition to render it 〈…〉 ought not to be so vniust as to desire to enioy that thing for aye which was giuen vnto you to a day by making your selfe Lord and owner of the thing whereof yee are onely a depositarie or keeper Moreouer men will say that it is a matter much importing to wit the feare and apprehension of death and that it is the extreame of all terrible things But ye ought to vnderstand that Death is not to bee found fault with for this seeing that it proceedeth not from the nature of death but from our owne imbecility who are commonly ouertaken and intangled with delights with a desire of this transitory life and with an immoderate loue of this miserable flesh And if yee take good heede it is 〈…〉 selfe that is dreadfull as the opinion which wee hold concerning the same For euery man feareth it according to his iudgment apprehension and conscience And if it be so that yee haue no feare thereof but onely for this occasion then lay the blame vpon your selfe and not vpon it For in this case it fareth with men of euill conscience when they must dye as it doth riotous spend-thrifts when they must pay their debts They will not come to an account for the distrust which they haue of their ability to satisfie for what they haue done And to say that ye feare death by reason that it is the last point and periode of man hath but little reason in it For the soule is alwaies the fore it liueth alwaies and cannot dye The Greekes call mans decease the end giuing vs thereby to vnderstand that it is the period and end of wearisome life The holy Scripture calleth it a sleep to assure vs of an assured resurrection and to the end wee weepe not as the Infidels doe which are without hope Let vs consider with our selues how many holy men and women haue prised it and desired it as the onely easement of all their anguish The writes of Salomon Iob and the Histories of Gods Saints are ful of the praises of this Christian desire of death What a vanity is it to loue so much this miserable life this Iaile this prison this vale of teares seeing that the longer we liue the longer wee liue in sinne the more daies we spend the more waies wee offend and so goe on each houre purchasing vnto our selues a new paine and punishment Finally to shut the doore vnto all fearefull apprehensions of death we must learne to do two things which the world can neuer teach vs the one is to liue well for a vertuous and Christian life maketh euen agreeabe the very memory of death the other is that we beleeue that the thing which it hath pleased God to affoord vs for a remedy and easement of our manifold labours and toyles is not so harsh nor so horrible as we do imagine it is And for a finall conclusion let vs remember how that the Saints haue had life in affliction and death in affection The Authors Conclusion BEHOLD here the floures that I haue gathered here there out of the garden of the flourishing wits and writs of the wise which I haue passed mine eies ouer Them I lay out in common betweene you and me euen as the busie bees do in their hiues with all they haue reaped in the faire and well furnished gardens or flourie fields to the end we together may draw out thereof the sugred hony of this sweet and pleasant Tranquility of mind I am of the opiniō for my part that if the ancient poets had throughly knowne thereof they would not haue put themselues in paine to compose any other Nectar or brue any other Ambrosia besides this for the diet of their gods but should haue thoght them well feasted in seruing them with this dish alone for all messes and at meales Seeing therefore we haue the oportunity offered vs of finding out and vsing so diuine a thing let vs make vse of it in the most thrifty manner wee possible may acknowledgeing in the meane time that this Tranquility we talke of is a gift from heauen which the bountifull influence of the worlds-maker must distill into our minds hee being the true and liuing well-spring whence floweth all our felicity and blisse Whose name therefore according as wee are bound wee blesse and magnifie for euer Amen FINIS
speake from high roomes hath brought low and of mighty men in a moment made miserable In such a variety and vicissitude of matters if ye doe not fore-bethink your selfe how that all humane accidents may touch you as wel as others ye giue aduersities great power ouer you the which by the prudēce of him that foreseeth them are not a little abated made more milde Our minds out of questiō shold be in greater rest if our actions were occupied about such things as be of a more certain cōstant condition For at least hauing once attained them wee should content our selues therwith and enioy the sweetnes and commodity therof in tranquility ease But seeing that in this world all things are subiect to tottering and turning and that there is nothing vnder the cope of heauen stable and firme the remedy most fit vnto our infirmity is to foresee this instabilitie and not to passionate and turmoyle our selues about those things the possession whereof is no lesse toylesome and troublesome then was the acquisition purchase therof And therfore wee must loue them as things which may leaue vs and withall we must haue so much foresight that they neuer leaue vs the first When on a time it was told Anaxagoras that his sonne was deceased I knew very well quoth he that he was a man and that he was borne to dye once In the like manner must we bee prepared for all aduentures My friend hath not assisted mee well I knew that he was a man and one that might change My wife was very vertuous and yet was she but a woman The man that thus before hand bethinketh himselfe of humaine accidents shall neuer be taken at vnawares neither shall he need to say as customably the vnaduised are wont I did not thinke of such a thing vnto whom the chances of fortune do occasion much affliction and anguish because they finde themselues disarmed of this wise foresight The well-aduised Prince in time of peace maketh ready his preparatiues for the time of warre Vlisses ouerpassed many dangers and difficulties and yet none of them all did afflict him so soare as one thing which did take him at vnawares euen the death of a dogge which hee loued deerely So that the common prouerbe wee see proueth true That a person surprised is halfe beaten DISC. 4. Of each mans Vocation and Calling IT cometh oftentimes to passe that such as do not thinke diligently of that which they doe are seene to fall into such a kind of life as is paineful to beare and yet more vneasy to be abandoned The which is certainely a great difficulty and a case that doth require much prudence and no lesse patience with piety to implore the aid and assistance of God considering that patience with humility in Gods behalfe is the remedy which most doth lighten and ease the euill Consider the poore prisoners what paines they endure in the beginning to beare the burthen that is laid vpon their legges but after that they are once accustomed thereunto necessity teacheth them and vse maketh all such hard vsage easie vnto them There is no manner of life howsoeuer hard strict it be which hath not some kinde of solace and refreshment one or other to sweeten the same And truly there is not any one thing wherein Nature hath so much fauoured vs as in this that she maketh vs to finde the remedy and mittigation of our misfortunes in the sufferance of the same The case then so standing as it doth that man is borne obnoxious and subiect vnto all manner of miseries we must cōsequently suppose that wee are all of vs the prisoners of Fortune who holdeth vs tyed and fettered fast hand and foote and that there is no difference sauing that the fetters and chaines of some are of gold and of other some of yron We are all of vs in one the same prison and those that hold others captiue are in the like condition and case themselues in regard of others If the desire of honour turmoileth thee the desire of riches doth trouble another If the basenesse and obscurity of birth doth afflict the to others Nobility and greatnesse doth bring a thousand discontented thoughts Art thou subiect to the commandement and will of another that other is subiect at least to his owne hauing his braines and his breast beaten with ten thousand heart-burnings and diseasments which thou doest not espy in summe if yee marke all things well our whole life is nothing but a seruitude wherein euery one ought to take good heed how to demeane himselfe in his calling how hee may content himselfe therein winking at that which is euill in it and applying himselfe vnto that which is good For there is no calling howsoeuer painefull and toylefull it bee wherein the patient soule doth not finde some contentment and gaine though that cunning and skill bee more exquisite in time of aduersity then of prosperite For when as difficulties and crosses doe present themselues then must we gather all the forces of our wits together and set our whole vigour and vertue against such imminent or present euils reposing our whole confidence in God Ionas had euer leisure within the Whales belly to make his supplication prayer vnto God and was presently heard In this manner all accidents howsoeuer grieuous and vneasy they be may be sweetned and lightned not a little To this purpose also it is good that each one set certaine bounds and limits to the hopes of his life and that hee thinke with himselfe that howsoeuer humane things bee different and diuers for the outward semblance and shew that neuerthelesse inwardly they resemble one another in their inconstancy and vanity Beare not enuy against such as are in higher place then your selfe for oftentimes that which we account height is as a steepe hill from whence a man with very little adoe is hurled downe headlong And truely such as haue liued content haue not beene alwaies those that haue made the better choise but rather those who prudently and discreetly could cary themselues in that estate and calling which they once made choyce of taking patiently the euill that fell out therein and endeauouring to redresse such accidents as did crosse their desires and for this cause Plato did compare the life of man to the play at dice wherat whoseuer doth play ought alwaies to striue to haue a faire throwe and yet should content himselfe with any cast that commeth For seeing that good or euill luck is not in our power at least wise wee must labour to take cheeerefully our chance withall to thanke God for that the worst that could is not fallen forth Men of weake wit hauing fortune at will are so transported with ioy that scarcely they know what they doe they are so insolent that no man can keepe them company they can abide nobody and nobody can abide them Whereas in the time of aduersity they are so amased
matters according as they fall forth and not to tye themselues so much to one manner of liuing but that in case of necessity they may well leaue it For euen as a man that is whole sound should not subiect himselfe to the keeping of one certaine rule in his dyet but ought rather to accustome himselfe to eate somtimes more and sometimes lesse at one time of one meate at another time of another meate to drinke now of wine and then of water to stay sometimes in the sunne sometimes in the shade sometimes to labour and sometimes to rest so must a man frame and fashion himselfe to all manner of accidents for in so doing any new accident whatsoeuer that can befall you for there falleth out an infinity of chances in the course of our life shall not trouble nor disquiet you yea though yee bee driuen to betake your selfe to some other maner of liuing yet shall ye do it without much adoe prouiding alwayes that temerity and rashnesse bee away by reason that yee shall bee so well inured thereunto before hand that it will bee easie for you to giue place vnto the time that offereth it selfe And truly the impotency and weaknesse is all one not to be able to change in time of need and not to be able to continue constant in a good course Moreouer wee must mingle and temper our matters in such sort that they may be fitted proportionably one to another As for example At one time to bee solitary at another time to be in company the one for our friends sake the other for our selues for we must not alwaies remaine in our graue moode for that should make vs to be abhorred neither must we shew our selues continually iocund and glad for that should make vs to be despised But wee must carry our selues discreetly obseruing comelinesse and conueniency of time and place as the life of man doth require For it is a needfull thing for a man at one time or other to recreate himselfe by giuing intermission to his more serious affaires We reade of Socrates a most graue Phylosopher that he made no difficultie to play and refresh himselfe with the litle boies and of Cato a very austere man that somtimes he did feast his friends thereby to refresh himselfe with the pleasure of their company and to recreate his minde wearied with the weighty affaires of the Common-wealth Also of Scipio Africanus that sometimes he would delight himselfe with daunsing And this we haue said to shew that the minde of man requireth some release Neither hath that man his due liberty who hath not the meanes sometimes to be at leasure The fruitfullest grounds if they get not leaue to rest a while become barren in a short time Continuall labour maketh the minde of man to become slacke and weake euen as lasinesse luxurie doth make it heauy feeble and faint Our recreation ought to bee as our sleepe which restoreth our strength and giueth vs breath to returne more gayly and ioyfully to our worke For if we should sleepe continually it should bee a death and not a sleepe Those which of old did establish lawes haue ordained there should bee also certaine feast-dayes in the yeare to the end men might in a manner bee constrained to surcease from the actions of their ordinary callings and to take their pastimes after their toyles and of old we finde that many excellent men were wont to allot some parcell of time to their recreation Asinius Pollio a great Orator was neuer so much busied in affaires but hee reserued for his pleasure and pastime the two last houres of the day during the which space hee would not so much as reade the letters which hee receiued from his friends fearing lest they should minister vnto him some new care and cogitation Others were wont to labour vntill noone and the remnant of the day they did spend about meaner matters The lights which they distribute to seruants at Court doe like wise limit and bound the times appointed both for labour and rest There was a decree of the Senate of Rome which did beare a prohibition that no new thing should be propounded or mentioned in the last two houres of the day Furthermore when a man is wearie of his worke hee doth finde himselfe maruailously refreshed and restored when as hee goeth out into an open and spatious place and it seemeth that the free aire doth repaire and renew the strength and vigour of his dispearsed and spent spirits For conclusion ye ought to loue diuersity and change according to the time and take heed least yee nourish and cherish your minde too delicately and daintely For it hauing of the owne nature great strength prouiding that it be wakened and rouzed vp it were not reasonable ye should suffer it through voluptuous and delitious liuing to waxe feeble and faint And no sooner do ye come to that point to be impatient and delicate but as soone all things begin to crosse your good liking To eate it goeth against your stomacke to be hungrie it hurteth you to sleepe it slayeth you to be awake it vexeth you and as a sicke or queasie person ye go on in a restlesse maze alwayes searching and seeking after some new thing such delicacie and tendernesse hath bene the cause that diuerse haue had much ado to comport with the very things which are necessary in this life as to lie to sleepe to wake to rise to dine to sup to talke to walke to cloath vncloath thēselues so that some haue thought it a death to be alwaies wearied in beginning a new againe so often the same things Such folks come to such extremities that hardly can they manage or maintaine the manly courage of their minde neither can they frame themselues to all things to know many things to taste of many things and alwaies in euery thing to carry a good stomacke For in this case there is the like reason and condition of the body and of the mind Hence it is that ye shall espie some men so tenderly disposed that a small noise of their neighbour will annoy them and the sound of a little bell will trouble their braine For as vnto a crasie and ill-complexioned body so vnto a drooping and languishing minde it doth semblably befall that what thing soeuer toucheth it doth pricke it and sting it full sore DISC. 7. Of the choice of friends SEeing that the life of man necessarily hath need of friendship and fellowship for it were a matter both harsh and hard for a man to haue alwayes his mind bended about businesse and it should be yet more wearisome if he had not one with whom he might take some release I finde that we proue commonly too negligent and carelesse in making our choice We ought in my iudgement to chuse such folkes for our friends as be of a mild and meeke conuersation and who because of their calme and quiet disposition do